An American Homecoming
SUSSEX-After two tours of duty in the Middle East, naval reservist Scott Rogoff is home again and he's not the only one who's glad he is. Friends, family and co-workers filled the cafeteria of St. Clare's Health System's Sussex hospital last Thursday, July 21, to welcome Rogoff, who had been stationed in Kuwait as a hospital corpsman, back to his home and his job as a cardio-pulmonary manager. It was an emotional occasion, especially for his wife, JoEllen, who last year learned she had a recurrence of cancer just as her husband was going to Kuwait and one of her sons to Guantanamo, Cuba. Having both her health and her family back brought JoEllen close to tears several times as she addressed the gathering. "I could not be more happy to call you my family and my friends," she said in an emotional address to the hospital staff. "We could not have done this without you." Other family members at the welcome-home celebration were son Rob of Hamburg, married daughters Dolores of Wantage and Denise of Ogdensburg, son Josh, 9, daughter Allie, 11, and grandchildren. But his family and the hospital weren't the only ones who were glad to have the 45-year-old Rogoff back. Franklin Mayor Doug Kistle came to welcome home a man who is both a resident of the borough and a member of the town's emergency management team. "Scott was always very responsive to things going around the hospital," said Stephen, the Sussex hospital's vice president and chief administrative officer, who also invoked memorable lines from President John F. Kennedy's Jan. 20, 1961 inaugural address "that we shall pay any price, bear any burden in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." "We're glad you're here," the administrator added. "We feel this is a very special day to acknowledge one of our people who has gone beyond the call of duty." "He's a wonderful guy," added Virginia Littell, who chairs the St. Clare's Sussex division advisory board. "We're very proud, not only of his dedication to his town and family, but that he went willingly. We're glad to have him back. He's a rock." As it turns out, however, Rogoff, who returned recently from an assignment as a naval hospital corpsman in Kuwait, is not the only rock in the family. His middle son, Justin, 24, is recently back from Guantanamo Bay, where he served as a gunner and a guard as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 102nd armored division. Rogoff was presented with a plaques and certificates by Kistle, Freeholder Steve Oroho, Assemblywoman Allison McHose (R-24) and State Sen. Robert Littell (R-24). In turn, Rogoff presented St. Clare's with a folded U.S. flag that had flown over Camp Patriot, Kuwait, along with an accompanying framed commemoration of that. Later, Rogoff tried to set the record straight about misperceptions Americans may have about the Iraqi people, given the horrific suicidal attacks from insurgents that have claimed the lives of approximately 1,700 American military personnel in the two years following the country's invasion. "Ninety-five percent of Iraqi people are good people," who want American's presence there, said Rogoff, who added that most want to enjoy the freedom and amenities they never had under the brutal regime of Sadaam Hussein. "It's the other five percent and the insurgents coming from other countries that are causing all the problems." When asked about dealing with the difficulty of handling casualties from the draining conflict, Rogoff didn't duck the issue. "I wasn't in that much combat, more of a support role," he responded. "But when you see terrible things, you keep it in perspective. Sometimes it becomes mind-numbing, but you learn to deal with it." While more reticent than his father, Justin Rogoff said that dealing with prisoners at Guantanamo Bayat least some of whom are Taliban/Al-Queda suspects has not been accurately portrayed. "What people don't realize is that the people we have down there are bad people, terrible people, let's put it that way," he said without further comment. The senior Rogoff, a resident of Franklin for the past 14 years, continued to draw high praise and warm words throughout the event. "He's part of our emergency management team," Kistle commented. "He's a great guy, a gentleman and he's very well liked. And we're glad to have him back." "I'm very proud of him and as the father myself of a soldier and the brother of a soldier in the Middle East, I appreciate the sacrifices that the family made," Oroho said. "And for a war that knows no boundaries, it's the services of people like Scott and his son that will help us win this war."